Worker receives £10k for e-mail harassment

A
woman who resigned from her job after discovering colleagues had sent obscene
e-mails about her has received £10,000 compensation in an out of court
settlement.

The
woman, who remains anonymous, worked as a sales support administrator and
personal assistant for Holden Meehan Independent Financial Advisers, but
resigned because she felt her complaint wasn’t taken seriously.

She
discovered that nine of her colleagues had circulated obscene e-mails about her
when she was given access to another worker’s computer while he was on extended
leave.

Her
case for sexual harassment was supported by Equal Opportunities Commission
chair Julie Mellor, who said there should be no room for doubt about the
consequences of misusing e-mail.

"All
employers should make their staff aware that sexual harassment can take many
forms, and can be deeply distressing for the person on the receiving end,"
she said. "The fact that comments are made by e-mail doesn’t mean they
should be treated any less seriously than if they were spoken or written down.
This needs to be made clear in harassment and IT policies."